


Trick or Treat

by DeceitfulHonesty



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, F/F, Halloween, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 13:22:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12705846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeceitfulHonesty/pseuds/DeceitfulHonesty
Summary: Daisy has never been able to celebrate Halloween, so Jemma decides to enlighten her on the tradition of Trick or Treating.





	Trick or Treat

The minute hand on the clock ticked closer and closer to the end of class. Daisy had given up any pretense of listening to the teacher try to answer their dumb questions on trigonometry. Daisy didn’t pay attention to a word of the lesson, but she was sure she could ask questions later. 

The paper spiders hanging on a strand of garland draped over the clock danced in the slight draft of the room, seeming to mock Daisy as the minute hand slowly crept towards the 12. Daisy’s eyes glazed over and the numbers started to blur. So close, but so far away. 

Her best friend, Jemma, sat next to her, scratching away at her notebook, to jot down every word the teacher said. Daisy snorted and rolled her eyes fondly. At least Daisy could borrow Jemma’s very detailed notes later. 

Finally, the minute hand reached its target and the final bell sounded. Daisy was out of her chair before the bell had even stopped ringing and heading to the door. Today was Halloween and they had tomorrow off school for 'teacher conferences' (which was really code for 'sleep off your candy-hangover' day) and Daisy had a date with her pajamas and Netflix. 

She was halfway to her locker when she heard someone calling her name. 

“Daisy! Wait up!” Jemma’s voice rang through the crowded hall. 

Daisy paused and let a cluster of freshman push past her while Jemma jogged up the hall. 

“Where are you off to in such a hurry? Big plans for Halloween?” Jemma probed once she caught up. 

“The biggest.” Daisy smirked. “Me, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and Stranger Things Season 2.”

Jemma’s face fell. “You’re not going trick-or-treating?”

“Uh…no?”

“Why not?”

Daisy shrugged. “I’ve never been before, why start now? My Halloween tradition was always to sneak a scary movie from Blockbuster past the nuns.”

Jemma gaped. “You have to experience trick-or-treating. It’s a rite of passage!”

“Aren’t we a little old for that now?” Daisy asked.

Jemma shook her head. “We’re sophomores. This is one of the last years we can get away with it before Halloween devolves into contests of who can be the mostly scantily clad.”

Daisy didn’t know what to say. For years, she was gutted when the nuns wouldn’t allow trick-or-treating, but lately, Daisy resigned herself to it. It was just one more part of a 'normal childhood’ that Daisy missed out on, even after getting out of the orphanage. 

But now, Jemma was standing in front of her, wide-eyed, insisting that she needed to experience it. 

How could she say no?

“I…I don’t even have a costume,” Daisy tried. 

“Come to my house. We have a giant box full of old costumes from other Halloweens,” Jemma countered. 

The hopeful look in her eyes was too much. 

Daisy sighed. “Fine. Just let me call Coulson to let him know I'm going out.”

“Great!” Jemma replied with a grin and jogged off to put her books in her locker. 

Daisy quickly tapped out a text to her adopted dad that she was going trick-or-treating. She expected something snarky or confused from him but she got a series of happy emojis and thumbs up. Also followed by a few cat face emojis, which Daisy assumed were accidental. 

She smiled and agreed to be home before 11, before meeting Jemma at her locker and walking towards the bus stop. 

“So, why do you care so much about Halloween?” Daisy asked, while they waited for the bus. “It doesn’t seem like something you’d be into, with all the ghosts and monsters and such.”

“Oh, I think it’s fascinating,” Jemma replied. “The whole history and psychology of Halloween is a doctoral dissertation waiting to happen. If I wasn’t going into biology, I would have already written it.”

“Dude, we’re sixteen and you’re already thinking about doctorates? I haven’t planned past the history test on Monday,” Daisy responded. 

“It’s never too early to start preparing.” Jemma shrugged. 

Daisy just rolled her eyes, but didn’t respond because the bus had pulled up. 

On the ride to Jemma’s house, Jemma regaled Daisy with stories of past Halloweens trick-or-treating with her neighbors in England and interspersed insights on the psychology of fear and intentionally getting scared. 

Daisy was far less interested in the later stories, but she listened fondly anyway. Jemma’s passion about things most people would find boring or gross was one of the things Daisy loved about her. Some people were put off by it (like Kara, when she found out her cat died of cancer and Jemma asked if she could dissect the body), but Daisy found it weirdly adorable. 

They pulled up to Jemma’s stop and scrambled off the bus. Jemma led the way, still talking about how excited she was about her costume and brainstorming ideas for Daisy’s. 

They briefly said hello to Jemma’s parents when they reached her house and headed directly for the attic. Jemma clambered up into the dark space and dropped a massive cardboard box down for Daisy to catch, which she did with great difficulty. 

They dragged the box into Jemma’s room and started tugging things out. Among the plastic weapons, there were tangled piles of cheap fabric in various colors. Jemma insisted most of them were her parents’ costumes or things that friends and neighbors had given them. 

After nearly an hour tearing through the box and making fun of the older costume choices, Jemma decided on one for Daisy. Daisy rolled her eyes, but went to try it on anyway. 

She came out of the bathroom in and blue and red spandex dress with a large red and yellow ’S’ across the chest and a red cape Velcroed to the shoulders. The costume was clearly made before the TV show aired and was just a feminine version of the Superman suit with a tiny skirt. Daisy tugged on the skirt, trying to get it to cover more of her legs. 

The glee on Jemma’s face made Daisy forget her discomfort with the costume. 

“I’m not really big on superheroes,” Daisy protested weakly. 

“Are you serious? You’re totally a superhero!” Jemma argued. The way she said it made Daisy think she was referring more to Daisy’s life story than just the costume. Daisy flushed slightly and fidgeted with the costume more. 

After a bit more ogling and Jemma showing Daisy how to strap on the boot covers, Daisy changed back into normal clothes and headed downstairs for dinner. While they were eating, Daisy noticed the decorations covering nearly every surface of their home in spiders and ghosts. Halloween was clearly big for the Simmonses. 

As the sun crept down towards the horizon, they cleaned up dinner and went their separate ways to get dressed. Jemma’s parents were apparently going to a Halloween party tonight so they had to get into costume as well. 

Daisy changed back into the Supergirl costume and waited for Jemma to come back downstairs. 

When she did, Jemma was wearing a long, black Victorian dress and her hair was pulled up into a rough bun and powdered gray. 

“What do you think?” Jemma asked, spinning around to show off the outfit. 

“Looks great! I loved the Woman in Black movie,” Daisy replied. 

Jemma frowned. “I’m Marie Curie, not the woman in black.”

She brandished a printed out X-Ray of an arm to make her point. 

“I knew that,” Daisy defended. 

Jemma rolled her eyes and handed Daisy a small, hollow plastic pumpkin with a handle on it. 

“What the hell is this?” Daisy asked. 

“It’s for candy.”

Daisy blinked at the tiny pumpkin basket. “This is ridiculous.”

Jemma just shrugged and waved the one she had shaped like a tiny cauldron. “We didn’t have any other options.”

She led the way out the door and Daisy trailed after her. It was barely dark and some of Jemma’s neighbors were busy dragging out fire pits and lawn chairs. Some of the tinier kids were walking around holding their parents’ hands and clutching similar baskets to the one Daisy had in her hands. 

Daisy tried to shoot Jemma a withering look, but Jemma had already started marching down the street and Daisy had to jog to catch up with her. 

Jemma confidently marched up to the front door of her next door neighbors house and rang the doorbell. Daisy trailed slightly behind her, still not sure of this whole situation. 

The door opened and a dark-haired, middle-aged woman stood behind it. A wide smile lit up her face when her eyes landed on Jemma. 

“Jemma! I wasn’t sure you’d be trick-or-treating this year,” the woman said. 

“It’s tradition! Plus, I had to introduce my friend, Daisy to it,” Jemma responded.

Daisy awkwardly waggled her fingers in a slight wave as the woman’s attention turned to her. 

“How nice to see kids your age doing wholesome things still,” the woman sighed. “Anyway, I bet you want your treats now.”

The woman grabbed a giant bowl from just inside the door piled high with full-size candy bars. Daisy perked up. She knew free stuff was involved with trick-or-treating, but she did know it would be this easy or this good.

Jemma chatted with her neighbor for a few more minutes before a small cluster of toddlers ambled up behind them, already chanting 'trick-or-treat,' while their put-upon parents trailed behind. 

Jemma led the way next door, where a group of kids was already lined up at the door. When the door swung open, they all shouted 'trick-or-treat' in unison while the couple in the house fawned exaggeratedly over all their costumes. Once the crowd cleared, Jemma and Daisy could sidle up. 

“Trick or treat!” Jemma said as a greeting, with all the gusto of the 11-year-olds that had just left. 

The couple at the door smiled, dropped a candy bar in each of their buckets, and made small talk for awhile, before heading back inside. 

They continued down the road and knocked on the door of every house they passed. Most gave out fun-sized chocolates, some had cheap, little toys. One house had the audacity to hand out airplane-issued bags of pretzels, which Daisy scowled at and Jemma politely accepted. 

They reached the end of the street and turned back towards Jemma’s house. Daisy’s feet were starting to hurt and her legs were freezing. Daisy think she would be jealous of Jemma’s costume, but Jemma was at least fully covered and protected from the autumn chill. 

Daisy watched as Jemma rooted through her tiny bucket of candy and picked out the things she didn’t like to pass over to Daisy’s bucket. Daisy smiled fondly. 

“Hey, Jemma?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks,” Daisy said. 

Jemma blinked at her. “It was just an Almond Joy, no need to sound so sappy.”

“No, not for the candy. For all of tonight,” Daisy clarified. “It felt nice to act like a normal kid for a night.”

Jemma smiled. “Of course. Anytime you need someone to make you feel normal by parading you around to get free candy from strangers, you know who to call.”

Daisy snorted and shoved Jemma gently with her shoulder. Jemma slipped her arm around Daisy’s and they wandered home arm in arm, through the swarm of tiny ghosts and monsters.

**Author's Note:**

> Well. This is very late. Sorry about that. Hopefully people still want to read a fluffy Skimmons trick or treat au with basically no plot but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
